Compact Hand Nibbler

Comments about Pittsburgh Compact Hand Nibbler:

This tool works great. However the hard plastic grips can cause a blister on your fingers on long cuts. I have tried wearing gloves and they help but the gloves make it harder to control the tool. Grips of a softer material would make me rate this tool 5 stars.

Comments about Pittsburgh Compact Hand Nibbler:

I carry this tool in my service truck all the time.


It comes in real handy when I have to "nibble" a piece of metal in a tight spot.


I have been very satisfied with this tool.

Comments about Pittsburgh Compact Hand Nibbler:

This tool is more of a cutter than a nibbler.

When I think of a nibbler, I think of that little tool that removes 1/4" x 1/8" rectangles from a piece of sheet metal. This tool differs from Tin Snips in that it doesn't cause the sheet metal to curl up on either side of the cut, which is really nice. It removes a little 1/16" strip from the middle of the tool, which does coil up. As previously posted, the cutting finger doesn't close all the way which has it's pro's & con's.

The pro's are that if the cutting finger did close completely and you attempted to cut heavier gauge material, it is likely that once you got past the 1/2 way point in your cut, the cutting finger would likely snap off.

The Cons, is that your maximum cut is about 1/4" and it takes quite a bit of effort to continually pull the material deep into the jaws. It's fairly well constructed. I would say Average Quality and somewhat effective. However, don't push the limits or you'll snap that little cutting finger right off. I believe if they made the cutting finger a bit thicker, it would strengthen the product. As it is, cutting finger is the weak link in this tool.

My cutting finger just snapped off today but only because I was exceeding the limits of what tool was designed for. However, I do plan on purchasing this item again. I think this "cutting" tool, plus a real "Nibbler" are both good additions to the tool box, each having their own separate purposes.

Comments about Pittsburgh Compact Hand Nibbler:

Fixed the 'grips' problem by filing off the two grip guards with a Sureform rasp -- now my fingers don't get blistered by the ill-placed guards. Closure latch not well designed, could have held tool nearly closed to save space. Tool performs its purpose well.

Comments about Pittsburgh Compact Hand Nibbler:

The quality control is non-existent. The jaws do not close completely, so the tool can not be used as a nibbler. Also, the rotating flag that should keep the tool in closed position is a joke due to bad tolerance of manufacturing. With better tolerances (center blade's cut-off at the tail and the hole near it's center) this would be very nice tool.